Cycling

[Comet]

Does the tank water tend to smell when it is cycling? My new tank just started cycling a couple days ago.

[BigRedandBlindWillie]

What kind of smell is it? It shouldnt smell rotten or anything. Mine always smells like a river or kinda like the ocean, very outdoorsie smelling. Are you doing a fishless or with fish cycle? If your doing a fishless and using food, it could be the food rotting at the bottom, which isnt good, and that could be the smell.

[Comet]

I'm doing a w/ fish cycle. And it doesn't smell like rotten eggs, it just smells weird. I tried moving the airstone to the otherside of the tank, opposite from the filter, and the smell wasn't as bad.

[BigRedandBlindWillie]

well its good it doesnt smell like rotten eggs. It sounds like a normal cycle to me, just keep an eye on the params. Once mine was finished cycling, it now smells like a river.. lol... a sandy river, at least thats what i think.

[chico]

My tank had an 'outdoor pond' smell while it was cycling. Smell was gone when cycling was complete.

[Fantail]

When my tank was cycling, the water was cloudy, the smell was weird, but when the cycle is over, the smell is like dirt, kinda fresh, nothing rotting.

[Tazz Knight]

my tank had that outdoors pond smell for a couple days and was cloudy...now it's slowly clearing up and the smell is a lot better....still not completely cycled yet

[littleone78]

The smell is most likely from the ammonia. Once my ammonia level got down, the smell went away.